Millennium Technology Prize Awarded to LED Creator

mapkinase writes "This year's Millennium Technology Prize was awarded to Prof. Nakamura of Japan, for invention of white, blue and green light emitting diodes." From the article: "His other inventions such as blue LEDs are used in flat-screen displays, while blue lasers are already being exploited in the next generation of DVD player. 'Professor Nakamura's technological innovations in the field of semiconductor materials and devices are groundbreaking,' said Jaakko Ihamuotila, chairman of the Millennium Prize Foundation. The Millennium Technology Prize is the world's largest technology award, equivalent to the Nobel Prizes for science. It recognizes technological developments that have a positive impact on quality of life and sustainable development."

Comments

Nobel equivalent? I don't think so.

[the eric conspiracy]

Why is it that every large prize (Fields medal, Millenium Prize etc.) is described as being equivalent to the Nobel Prize? When in fact it isn't?

The Nobel Prize is occasionally awarded to technologists, or inventions by scientists that were not new science but rather applications. Jack Kilby's Nobel is a perfect example. The Millenium Technology Prize does not carry anything like the history or even the sensibility of the Nobel. For example how is the invention of HTML such a big deal? Compared to the work of a technologist like Norman Borlaug it is laughable.

There isn't a Nobel for mathematics - one could make a pretty good case there should have been. But there is no 'equivalent' to the Nobel.

Re:Nobel equivalent? I don't think so.

[Dahamma]

For example how is the invention of HTML such a big deal?

Thanks, you have neatly summed up the term "academic arrogance". I'm not going to argue that HTML is a particularly complex invention, but the impact of this simple idea is probably larger then the research of 95% of the Nobel prizes awarded in the last few decades. Oh no, TBL doesn't have a PhD, and sometimes worked in industry! Despite this, HTTP (even simpler than HTML, yet even more ubiquitous) and HTML evolved over years of his research and development...

Would it be too blatantly obvious to mention it enabled the publishing of your comment in the first place?

Death to blue LEDs!!!!!

[dangitman]

The blue LED is one of the worst inventions ever. It's getting harder and harder to buy computer peripherals, audio equipment, and other devices that aren't festooned with the damn things. It's become a manufacturer's way of saying "my product is cool!"

Why do I want my indicator lights to illuminate the whole damn room? They are extremely uncomfortable to look at, and too bright for purpose they are used for. I want an indicator light to discreetly notify me of the status of my equipment. Not blind me. Is there anything wrong with a subdued red/yellow/green LED for this purpose?

My god, I've even seen high-end speakers for the entertainment industry with these things on the FRONT of them. Newsflash: I want to listen to a speaker, not look at it. Especially when you are using it in a theater - you have to cover the LEDs with tape so they aren't distracting during a black-out or scene with low-level lighting. You fucking idiot manufacturers - why do you think your speakers are BLACK? It's so they're as invisible as possible when on stage. Way to go and wreck that by installing an LED which may as well be an aircraft landing beacon.

Work just provided me with an external HD enclosure that not only has a blue LED, but uses a plastic lens system to simulate the look of a bar LED-array. Of course, this does not function as a meter of the level of activity. ALL of the "lights" are either on or off. So why the hell did they put a whole row of the motherfuckers there? You do not gain any more information over just having a single point of light flashing on and off. Being bright enough to cause eye cancer does not give me any advantage over a low-intensity green LED.

Please, won't somebody think of the LEDs? THIS INSANITY MUST STOP!